Together We're Dorks
by DrTwit
Summary: After saving Argus, Ruby was only expected to kick back and get the rest she deserved, but the hero of the hour is left with a bad taste and insecurities, brought to the surface by her silver eye trigger. Unable to sleep on it, she seeks out her boyfriend for some cheering up and some of that Arc wisdom. Who better to remind you how awesome you are than your fellow dork?


**Technically, this is a sequel to my other One-shot, Not Alone, but it's not really needed to understand this one outside of two retcons introduced in that other one-shot: Ruby and Jaune met when they were kids, but forgot about it in time and Jaune had a dead family member.**

* * *

It had been an unusually quiet ride on the S.S Cookie Dough. No little conversations broke out to discuss the group's skirmish with the Grimm, no poking at Oscar for Ozpin to come out and play, not even a hint of resistance to Ruby naming the ship. No, it seemed that after all climactic close calls and stressful surprises brought on by their illegal acquisition of this Atlas cruiser, the defenders of humanity were just tired.

Qrow stared blankly out of the front window, sleep threatening to take him, but overpowered by the fear of what the spunky old legend currently piloting the ship would get them caught up in if someone didn't supervise her. Blake was trying to catch some shut-eye, but was constantly kept up by Yang's insistence to pop her stiff bones and groan like an old lady who just got her hip replacement.

Ruby still felt compelled to stay awake and vigilant despite the fatigue brought on by her special little lights show earlier. After forcing herself to sift through all those memories, she felt a small measure of dread in falling asleep and letting them creep back in. Though, if she were to tell the truth, she'd say she'd been having feelings like that even before the incident, the memories only awakening a stronger ache in the pit of her stomach.

So, she sat there, curled up against the corner with a dead look in her eye, observing for interest. As Ruby looked around the small space, she caught Weiss screaming into her palm as Nora tried to rope her into the seventy-sixth round of 'I Spy'. It was only then she noticed that her blond dork of a boyfriend seemed to be absent from the gathering of exhausted Huntsmen.

For a second she pursed her lips, perhaps that was the source of this niggling feeling gnawing at her. They'd been official since Haven, yet they haven't had much opportunity to schedule some boyfriend and girlfriend activities. She was just inpatient and a bit frustrated, that must have been it. With that conclusion in mind, she picked herself up off the floor and approached the door separating the Cockpit/Passenger area from the cargo bay, keeping her eyes peeled for wisps of blond hair as she went.

She didn't bother checking the toilet as she recalled Ren had been 'meditating' in there for the past half an hour. Instead, she pressed on, feeling an inkling of cold steadily drip into the room as the door closed behind her. The cold was a good sign that they were getting close to Atlas at least, but it didn't make her feel any less hollow as she shuffled through the cargo bay, crimson cloak wrapped around her tightly like a shield.

Luckily for her, she didn't have to brave the poor conditions alone as her ears started to catch the low and rhythmic hum of Jaune's scroll the more she pushed forward. "Hey, there you are!" Her face lit up as she poked her head around some empty boxes to meet Jaune's mop of dirty blond hair. "I've been looking for you."

He was sitting slumped against the wall like she had been, legs stretched out far and as wide as he could push them, his eyes staring down at his scroll until he heard her gentle call. "Ruby, we're on a tiny transport ship with only three rooms, and one of those rooms is the cubicle the toilet is stored in." His eyes came up to meet hers, lighting up as humor filled his tone. "Not that hard to find."

She offered him a cheeky shrug, pushing off the crates to approach him. "What can I say, you're good at being easy to miss."

As she stood before him, a mocking smile hanging from her cheeks, he couldn't help but chuckle. "You expect less? As a long-time member of the socially awkward, us dorks have mastered the art of stealth."

"Very impressive…" The obvious lead-in to a 'but' had Jaune pursing his lips in disapproval before she could even slide down the wall to sit next to him. "Though, we already have Blake and Ren for that. And considering being good at not drawing attention makes for a pretty shabby tank…" Her lips were pushed to the corner of her mouth, humming with a fake consideration and concluding her 'thoughts' with her index finger poking his cheek. "What do you bring to the team?"

Jaune wondered if a year ago, back in Beacon, his thick skull wouldn't have understood the joke and taken offense. "Oh, you're questioning my skills now?" There was a hint of held back laughter causing Ruby's face to shake. She could tell by his forced coy tone just how smooth he probably thought he was being. Even cuter when he jammed his thumb into his chest. "Obviously, I'm the strategist. I mean, my plan is the reason we're even on this ship."

Ruby's lips parted in a wide 'o' shape, accompanied by a gasp and her hand to balk at this information. "Really? I thought it was my inspiring speeches and super cool glowing eyes that got us here…" She leaned closer as she said this, giving Jaune the full show of her sparkle eyes (As well as making his nerves remind him how close she was) while she teased him.

"Point taken." His grin grew as she seemed all too pleased with his agreement. However, she was not as pleased with his finger coming up and pushing her back by her nose. "You have to show me how to do that some time." Not just the magic eye lasers, but her speeches too. He refused she came up with those on the fly, she had to have been ripping them from some 'Leader Talk for Dummies' thing or something.

"Sorry, silver awesomeness is restricted to amazing and cute girls like myself."

He let his scroll hit his lap and threw his arms behind his back. Giving her a once over in a manner that looked confident on the outside, he reminded himself that yes, she was cute. However, on the inside his heart was pounding in embarrassment over checking out his own girlfriend. "You scoff, but according to the student body of Beacon Academy, I can rock a dress like no one's business."

"Eh, I think you were better as the bunny."

A frown pulled him down hard than his sword when it misses a stab. "Why does everyone knock the onesie? It's super comfortable, super warm and super cool!" To emphasize his truth, he pumped his fists in the air.

Instead of throwing another tease into the ring, something she'd only become much more comfortable with since starting her relationship with Jaune, her eyes softened to stare at him longingly. He made that onesie work, in her very unpopular opinion. "Only on you, Vomit Boy. Only on you." A quiet bee from below pulled Ruby's attention down to his scroll, curiosity dripping from her tongue before she could even think. "Watcha looking at?"

Taking in the gentle and loving stare Ruby was wearing, Jaune was reminded of a scene he saw once in an action movie. How would the smooth as ice action star respond to such a question? "Oh, just messaging some girl. I met her in Argus yesterday and I think we really hit it off. We've been chatting all night long, but she keeps sending all these heart emojis-"

Instead of making Ruby swoon more, Jaune was taken aback by how crushed Ruby's face was at hearing those words. "W-W-What girl!? Wha- She- But-" Her skin flushed a deep red, her eyes widened and her shoulders seemed to both shake and deflate. She was at a lost for words before a fiery temper found it's way into her voice. "It's that hot one with the awesome hat isn't it? The one Yang said was totally checking you out!" Ruby was cursing to herself as she thought about it. Yang might have said it as a joke, but Ruby should have paid more attention. She should have known. She knew that girl looked better than her, dressed better than her and probably wasn't obsessed with weapons and sweets. _Oh my god… _She thought _She's totally the girl the main guy always dumps his girlfriend for in those romance movies Dad keeps marathoning!_

During her small freak out, her hands had shot out and grabbed a hold of Jaune's arm, scrunching up his shirt. This had her pulling him closer until she was pushing herself up on her knees to have some sort of height advantage. However, as she finished her panicked thoughts on how her first real relationship was gonna be over so soon, she got a look at Jaune's own confused and shocked face, finding comfort that she wasn't alone in feeling frazzled. In that comfort, she found time to realize that this was Jaune's attempt at a joke.

She didn't find this joke funny. "JAUNE! You're awful! You can't tease your girlfriend like that!"

Immediately, she pounced upon the defenseless boy, delivering soft punches against his chest with her tiny fists of fury. "Ow, ow, ow, ow- I'm sorry! I saw it in a movie and thought it sounded cool"

"You shouldn't be stealing jokes now, should you?" Her lips pursed together with a glare second only to the glare she used for cookie thieves, her voice tinged with hurt.

Jaune was already beating himself up mentally as lurched forward to scoop Ruby up in his arms. _Great job, Vomit Boy. You made your girlfriend think you were cheating on her for a second. Next up, make the poor girl cry, why don't ya? _He pushed those guilty thoughts to the side so he could focus on his apology. "Ruby, I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd take it that seriously." The guilty party pleaded with the girl, letting off a nervous laugh that probably didn't help his case. "I didn't really think at all…"

Though Jaune couldn't see her face from this position, he could imagine her puffing out her cheeks, scrunching up her nose and snorting. "Well, you should of. Now, you owe me a cookie!" Her tone was back up again, letting Jaune feel relief as she stopped and reworded her answer. "No, no, that's childish… Two cookies."

The two pulled away from the hug. Now it was his turn to pout. "Where am I supposed to get those from? I don't think Atlas is gonna be an ideal spot to get sweets."

She poked his nose. "I'm sure you'll find a way. You always do."

"Uhuh…" He was pretty sure she was the one who pulled miracles out of her ass, but sure, he could find some cookies. Though, considering how Atlas is, he wouldn't be surprised if cookies were illegal contraband or something. "Well, I guess you're worth it."

It amazed Jaune how quickly all trace of any anger or discomfort seemed to just leave Ruby in the face of resuming their friendly teasing. "Watch what you say, Vomit Boy. I might just take back your hugging privileges."

"After I took a giant mech to the face, I'd like to see you try and stop me." Her cheeks darkened when Jaune squeezed her shoulders to emphasize his ample strength (and muscles).

"Oh, you're a bad boy now?" She was joking, of course. She already knew Jaune was a bad boy. He told her he was staying up past 9pm before he was even ten! After an exchange of laughter, Ruby took the chance to look down at Jaune's scroll, noting a profile image of Cinder. "So, what are you REALLY looking at?"

"Profiles. Been going over what little information we have on Salem's goon squad, trying to think of the best matchups when we fight them again." He held the scroll up to her, showing off the different profiles he'd compiled. As he swiped through them, Ruby noted how little information was there, the pages mostly bloated with short observations and comments from Jaune. "Next time we see them, it won't be luck getting us by."

Taking the scroll into her own hands, Ruby found herself frowning. "And you didn't call me for an impromptu Team Leader meeting?"

"I thought you deserved some shut eye. After all, you did save the day and take out a Grimm that could level cities." Jaune pointed to the rings around her eyes, speaking softly.

At this, Ruby just snorted, holding up her hands and shaking her head. "Hey, I just held it in place. Cordovin was the one who smashed it to pieces."

"Lucky that she changed her mind after that little stunt you pulled." There was a silent pause, Jaune realizing that might have come off as more bitter than intended. He fixed her with a smile and let loose some well-intentioned ribbing. "You tell me not to go recklessly throwing myself into danger, only to turn around a jump right into the thick of it yourself."

"Guess I'm a little hypocritical…"

"We all are." He reminded her, slipping the scroll back into his own hands. She returned to sit beside him, his fingers intertwined with hers and he audibly sighed. "I'm glad you're okay, again. First with the train-"

She cut him off quickly and awkwardly, like the prospect of her running head first into danger was more a reason to be flustered than scared. "I know. I… I know. I missed you too." Looking down at her, Jaune let out another sigh, pressing his lips against her forehead briefly before pulling back. "Sorry for making you worry." Worry was an understatement, when Ruby had initially told him she was going to separate the train carts and go back to fight the Grimm, he immediately found the scene familiar in ways that terrified him.

The fear that something had gone wrong haunted him throughout the entire train ride (to the point that some blind faunus on the train told him to knock it off and to stop being so obsessive.), kept him pacing throughout his sister's living room and making enough missed calls that any normal onlooker would think he was some sort of obsessive stalker. Still, that was the past and right now he was just preparing for the next heart attack. He didn't think Ruby should have to apologize for saving lives. "Hey, my Dad always used to say that you're not a true couple if you're not constantly giving each other heart attacks." He stopped to correct himself. "Uncle-Dad, I mean."

It hurt when her elbow jabbed into his side, a mischievous grin on her lips. "Is this the same Uncle who said that if you were just confident, you'd sweep Weiss off her feet?"

"Worked on you, didn't it?" Jaune shot back, sending her a wink. While she did giggle in response, Jaune suddenly started to notice that she seemed distracted, or better to say, was trying to be distracted. Her reactions were short-lived, followed by her quickly trying to move on to different subjects. "You seem a little out of it."

She didn't try to deny it, she just shrugged. "Just thinking."

"About?"

"My Mom." It was surprisingly blunt, accompanied by her head shooting up to meet his eyes, her own silver death machines whispered frustration and guilt. "I… I saw her."

Jaune tilted his head. "You saw your dead mother?" He just had to make sure that this wasn't a zombie situation, because they already have enough on their plate as it is.

"Yes- No… I mean, kinda. Maria said that the power of the silver eyes are fuelled by a strong need to protect, so to trigger it, I just start thinking real hard about everything I love. Those I want to protect and those… Those that I wish I could have protected." She looked down and her knees modestly covered by her puffy skirt. "But even then, I couldn't do it. It wasn't enough."

"Then how did you convert that Grimm into a museum exhibit?" Had his eyes been playing tricks on him? Because he was pretty sure he, and everyone else, saw Ruby flashing that thin- He did want to finish that thought.

In the meantime, Ruby shuffled nervously, taking time to think as she pulled her knees together. "It was like something was blocking me, something that's been there for a while now. I think I was afraid. I thought of Penny and Pyrrha and all I could take from those moments is that I wasn't able to do anything, that I wasn't as powerful as I thought." Jaune would never get used to watching her face fall, leaving the emotional bruises bare for him to see. It was sometimes hard to notice the vulnerability risk under all those heroic (and a bit overindulgent) speeches. "Then, in the darkness, I saw my mom." Her voice fell, hands lifted up only to lose energy at the last second. She seemed exasperated, unsure whether to be happy or sad with seeing her mother after so long. "It wasn't a memory like everything else, it was just her. She was standing in front of her grave. And… And she was smiling at me."

There was a smile fighting through all that angst, fidgeting at the corner of her frown, so Jaune took his chance to shoot her a smile of his own and look on the bright side. "So, even in death, she's still there to give you that one extra push, huh?"

She stopped, looking back up at him, her eyes widened slightly. A small smirk, but a smirk none the less as well as an almost relieved giggle following. "I didn't think of it like that. I guess you're right." Her arms crossed over her chest like she was cold, so Jaune immediately pushed his own hand behind her back to pull her up against him. Ruby herself seemed to slowly find more joy in what she was saying as she talked. "She didn't say a word, she just smiled. That's what I remember of her, the best of her. She believed in me. She showed me how much she believed in me. And if the best of her believed in me, then I had to be able to do it. Right?"

In the midst of her growing grin, she did not expect her boyfriend to jab his finger into her cheek, wearing a look like she'd just figured out the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course you could do it, Dummy. You're Ruby Rose, you can do anything, even shoot silver laser beams out of your eyes. LASER BEAMS!" His hand shot into the air accompanied by a face of utter awe to make his exclamation. "You are, like, a total superhero now. You have superpowers, you're X-Ray and Vav tier now."

"I mean, don't we all have superpowers?"

"Nope. " He said bluntly and without hesitation. "Super Magic God powers are completely different from semblances and aura. I can't even see how you'd compare them."

"Uhuh." She rolled her eyes, his tone rubbing off on her. "Well, if I'm a Superhero, I'm should have a sidekick. Right?"

He nodded in (what he considered) a sagely manner, stroking his chin in deep thought. "You will, though I don't think Weiss will appreciate having to wear spandex."

Ruby couldn't help but let out a short-lived laugh at the image of Weiss being forced into a cape and ridiculous spandex. "Weiss? I thought you'd be first in line for the position."

A snort from Jaune as well as another 'How could you miss such an obvious thing?!' look. "Me? That's crazy. OBVIOUSLY, I am the traditional love interest. I cannot be a sidekick because I'm too busy with all the emotionally confusing, repetitive, yet gripping shenanigans revolving around not knowing your secret identity." As he said this, he pushed his palm over her eyes, hiding her 'identity' much to her amusement.

"Hmmm, maybe you could be the arch nemesis that has way too much romantic subtext?"

"Neither of us are subtle enough for that and you know it."

She had to admit, he made a good point. "It's just, you know, the normal love interests never seem to end well." Love interests were either killed, mutated, forced to fight the hero or eventually become a controlling obstacle in the hero's life. Ruby didn't like to think of Jaune in any of those roles!

"Look, as long as you promise never to sell our relationship to the God of Darkness, we'll be fine."

Her disgust was imminent at such a cursed reference, sticking her tongue out to signify how it made her want to vomit. "Urg, don't remind me of THAT issue. That ruined Vav for a good few years…"

"Oh, come on, I think you're overreacting a little."

She cried out defiantly, fasts raised and shaking for the injustice thrust upon her favorite fictional characters. "They were perfect for each other!" It only lasted a moment before the two devolved into laughing about it once more. During their giggle-fest, Ruby felt a small tug on her hand, looking down to see Jaune still holding hers and squeezing tightly. The sight made her smile widen, prompting her to snuggle up to her boyfriend. "Just so you know, I'm pretty sure Mom would have approved of us. She would have loved you."

"I know." He shrugged, his confidence at an all-time high when he has THE cute girl beside him.

"Oh, really?" Her question was mostly rhetorical, but she was a bit curious about his answer.

"I already know her, because I know you." He placed his hand over her chest, pointing at it. "You said it yourself back when we were kids, she's not gone. She's here, in your heart, still pushing for you to be the amazing person you are. If she didn't like me, she wouldn't have steered you into my arms."

She couldn't speak for a moment, going through breathing exercises as she felt her heart give a middle finger to the concept of consistent rhythm. Call her an easy to please romantic dork, but Jaune has had her melting into his hand at the word 'go'. "You're good at this. Too good at this. I came here feeling a little under the weather and now…"

However, Jaune didn't seem as enthused as Ruby about it, he looked slightly conflicted. "I'm not good at making you feel better, I'm just the only one you tell what's going on in that head of yours, what's wrong."

She puffed out her cheeks, pouting. "I do not. I tell plenty of people what's wrong."

If Jaune had any room too, he'd cross his arms, but right now all he could manage was a one-armed shoulder tap. "About your doubts? About all that fear, uncertainty and regret eating away at you? About Pyrrha and Penny?"

She opened her mouth to speak "Well, no." and immediately closed it, looking down at her feet with a nervous laugh. "They have more important things to worry about and that stuff… It's not relevant to them."

"I think the rough emotional beating their leader is going through is relevant to said leader's team." She didn't want to look up, she knew he was giving her one of those unsatisfied looks teachers had when a student would keep making excuses. "I get it, you know I do. Putting on a brave face so you don't worry everyone else."

Ruby, unlike Jaune, was able to cross her arms and bite back. "Then why are you speaking like you're about to start 'but'ting?"

"But I also know that you're wrong." Well, he didn't have to say it so matter-of-factly.

"I'm wrong?"

"Yes."

"Me? Ruby Rose?"

"Uhuh."

The young huntress made a stubborn snort that Weiss would be proud of. "When have I ever been wrong?"

She regretted asking when Jaune went through his fingers to start listing off. "When you were reading the map to Mistral and forced us through two hours of backtracking after your shortcut failed, burgers with cookies instead of buns, and- Oh yes, this."

He watched as his girlfriend's face went through the various phases of acceptance. Starting with offense, only to drop to just plain grumpy, then a moment of confliction only to land in the middle of admitting he had a point. "Cheeky dork…" Jaune didn't want to laugh, but that childish face she made as her cheeks puffed out and her eyes begrudgingly looked to him was adorable. "Alright, go on. As a benevolent girlfriend, I'll let you insult me more."

Again, Jaune pointed to her 'heart', fighting to keep his voice steady for the talk. "Keeping all this stuff to yourself? It's not healthy. It's just going to put more strain on your-" In that moment, Jaune paused and considered that there was probably a better way to explain this to someone like Ruby Rose. A more pleasant way. "…It's like eating too many cookies."

"If this ends with you saying I need a diet, we're breaking up."

He noted the quick glare and proceeded with caution. "The more you eat, the worse the pain is going to get because your body can't digest all those emotion-cookies in time."

Ruby was still quiet after he'd stopped talking, eyes closed as she contemplated his words. After almost a minute of silence, she spoke. "So… I need to go to the toilet more?" Jaune could not suppress his groan.

"Okay, trying to put it simply… Uh… If you keep them all to yourself, they'll eventually just explode in one fell swoop at the worst possible moment. How will you be able to handle high-pressure situations if you have all that baggage holding your down and ready to pop?"

At this, she just scratched her head in confusion. "I'm unloading it on you, aren't I?"

Jaune didn't think this would be a hard concept to explain, but the more her head tilted in confusion, the more he had to reconsider if he was any good at this and sighed. "Ruby, I cannot be your sole source of support here. You have to confide in your team because you trust them, you love them and they'd do anything to help you."

It was Ruby's turn to shake her head, leaning up with more of a bite in her voice and a serious expression of frustration bubbling up to the surface. "I can't! You should know that. I'm the leader, I have to lead by example. If I make it clear that all of this is getting to me, how will they be able to trust me to lead them through it?"

When Ruby tried to pull away, Jaune kept her there with their passionate hand holding, moving his other hand to comfortably rest on her forearm. "They'll be able to trust you because they know you're just like them. They'll know to trust you because they'd know you're still trucking on, trying your best despite it all." He kept his eyes on hers, so that no matter what he said, she'd be able to look into his eyes and know he was just trying to help. "Pretending that you're not affected by all this tragedy, pretending that you don't have limits, pretending that you don't care… It'll just make you look less human, colder. It'll eat you up from the inside. And Ruby Rose, you are not cold. That's why we love you." At first, he wanted to say 'why I love you', but he felt that would have missed the point. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, but she seemed to look like she understood, but he just needed to drive it home. A relatable example. "That's why me and Yang got so pissed off at Ozpin sometimes, the way he tried to play everything off so coldly made us think he didn't care, that he saw us more as pawns and tools than people."

The words stung a little, the very idea that one day her friends and loved ones would ever think she'd consider them anything less than precious scared her. "You… You really think I could start looking like that sometime?"

"I don't know, Ruby. I just know it's not doing you any favors." He looked away, trying to discreetly calm down his nerves as they all collectively worried if he said the right thing. Before he could get into any mental self-deprecation, he received his answer as Ruby wrapped her arms around one of his arms and rested her head against it with a simple sigh of acceptance. "Does that mean I'm right?"

When her smile started to come back, Ruby realized just how relaxed Jaune had made her, how much his words seemed to have lightened an invisible load on her shoulders. She felt more at peace in his arms than when Yang used to read her bedtime stories. Was this normal? Was this what Tai had been like with Summer? Even Raven? Either way, this had been something she needed to hear. That it was okay. That there's nothing wrong with letting her teammates see her when she's down. "You know, you may be a half-bad strategist or a counterproductive tank-"

"Hey!"

"-but you're a top tier cure for the blues."

This time, she got to laugh as he gave a childish pout in response to her 'harsh' words. "I seem to make you feel better at the cost of you making me feel worse."

She shrugged, shooting him a wink that, surprisingly, made Jaune's face go beet red immediately. "I more than makeup for it with me being me."

"Y-you g-got me there." He stuttered out, that Arc confidence and wisdom slowly fading away with the moment. After a few seconds of twiddling his thumbs, he nervously added "Though I think I deserve a little something extra this time."

"Extra?" The way Ruby's lip wobbled and eyes blinked softly, Jaune couldn't tell whether she really couldn't see what he meant or was purposely making such adorable expressions to throw him off while she lingered close to his face. "Jaune, you're not getting my cookies, they're my last pack."

He sucked in some breath. "Not that, I was thinking something a little more… Uh… Personal." This was followed by a cough.

"Oh." The two seemed to become frozen in place as his words sunk in. Well, at least this meant she was just naturally able to make him so enthralled by her just by being confused.

"Yep."

He heard her audibly gulp, though his eyes were locked on her twiddling fingers and the way her hips nervously fidgeted. Was she blushing as much as him? He couldn't tell. "A-Are you sure?"

"I just think it's time we took our relationship to the next level." Both dorks had very little experience with romance, with Jaune's only relationship prior having ended as soon as it began since he hadn't caught on to Pyrrha's feelings until it was too late. So, he was still unsure of the situation himself, instead of botching the first move, he wanted Ruby's opinion first.

"I mean, we only upgraded to cheek kisses after we reunited. It all seems so fast. Are you sure?" As she spoke, she looked away from him, cheeks burning brightly as her hood seemed to mysteriously and suddenly find itself pulled tightly over her head. _Oh my, he's s-so forward. Can we really do this? Everyone else is just a room away!_

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." Jaune gripped her shoulders, summoning up all his courage as he swung her around to face him. He gritted his teeth, sung his last prayers and locked eyes with his girlfriend. It could be now or never. Summoning a whirlwind of passion and love from the depths of his soul, Jaune Arc roared "Ruby Rose… I WANT TO KISS YOU FULLY ON THE MOUTH!"

If Jaune hadn't been holding her up by her shoulders, she probably would have fainted right there after such a… Such a… RAUNCHY exclamation. "Oh my." In the face of such burning passion thrown in her face, she couldn't back down or turn away. No, if Jaune loved her enough to proclaim such a thing, then she should have no qualms matching his flames with her own/ She was going to kiss her boyfriend, god damn it. "I WANT TO PUT MY LIPS ON YOURS TOO AND Maybe cuddle and watch movies and stuff…"

"Yes." Jaune told himself it was too late to back down now, slowly leaning in.

"Right." Ruby could feel her flesh heat up as she prepared for her first kiss, following Jaune's lead and moving to meet him halfway.

"We'll do it." They both closed their eyes, ready to be lost in the moment.

"And we'll do it right this time!"

Instead, they were lost in pain as they felt their foreheads collide with each other, forcing them both to reel back howling.

"Ow, my head!"

They tried once more, this time a little quicker, but staying in the moment, staying in the groove.

"I think we're supposed to tilt-"

Ruby said this a little too late as their noses met one another on their third try, leaving their lips far from each other no matter how much they tried to stretch.

"That's my nose!"

On the sixth attempt, Jaune had completely missed Ruby and found himself sucking the metal on the wall behind her.

"Jaune, stop closing your eyes!"

Next came the eighth try, where Ruby rushed in so quickly, she accidentally bit down on Jaune's chin as she missed his lips.

"YOUCH!"

"Sorry!"

By the twelfth failure, both were left quite frustrated as two hormonal young adults could be. They covered in small bruises that their aura refused to heal, their clothes were disheveled, their skin was thick with sweat and they hadn't even managed to start ONE kissing session no matter what position they tried. It was the weirdest form of irritation the two ever felt. IN the end, Ruby had Jaune pinned to the floor, trying to half the workload and let gravity help her out. However, gravity is a filthy, filthy traitor.

Jaune breathed like a man you'd think had just be drained of all his stamina in a bedroom, if anyone walked in on them now the misinterpretations that the rest of the gang would come up with in their heads would probably make the two look better than 'We are too stupid to kiss'. At the peak of his frustration and hopelessness (as well as general inadequacies being felt all over), Jaune just shook his head, about ready to pack it in. "Damn it, I think we just need to- Mmmmphf"

And there it was.

In one last-ditch effort to seal the deal, the crimson speedster had dipped down, prayed to whatever God supported them and took the shot. When their lips first made contact, both of them felt the surge of relief that was passed between them at finally finding success. The kiss itself was an odd feeling, Ruby's lips were soft while Jaune's were rougher around the edges, making for a tickling sensation as they scraped together.

At first, they held their positions, not moving or anything, just getting comfortable with this new contact, getting a feel of one another. When they felt braver, they started to experiment, moving to the side, opening their lips a little wider, opening and closing like they were trying to chew on their passion. Throughout it all, they could feel that spark, it was awkward, but the sensation was there, the tingling satisfaction that made their hearts beat louder until a thunderous chorus erupted between them. As it drew on, they grew bolder, they began to speed up their actions, become more feral and desperate. Desperate for what, they didn't know, it was as if their bodies were obsessed with something that they could never obtain, the pleasure of just indulging in the heated dance of their lips.

It was quite the downtime when they finally pulled apart, Ruby sitting atop Jaune with her legs either side of his stomach. "Wow." It was hard to speak, let alone breathe. Was kissing a national sport? If not, it should, because there was nothing more competitive, satisfying or demanding than this amazing exchange of love.

"Uhuh." Was the only reply Jaune could muster.

"I just…" Ruby ran her hands back over her hair, the way her sweat-slicked back her dark locks with a heated tip only made her breathe harder.

"Oh yeah."

"I never imagined it would feel so-" His fingers, greedy, hungry fingers grabbed a handful of her hood and pulled her back down for round two, which she was all too happy to follow through with. She felt his hands fumble around trying to find a use for them, kneading her hair, squeezing her shoulders, clutching her cheeks, going through all options swiftly, harshly and awkwardly. Is this what people meant when they talk about 'liking it rough'?

"Sorry, just wanted to double check." Jaune apologized the moment they split away, to which Ruby nodded fiercely with complete understanding and agreement.

"Good good." _You can check all the times you want. Oh god, did I just think that?! _She thought it'd take some time to get used to it, but she quickly realized that this kissing thing was really nice. No wonder couples do it so often. It was like a bunch of strawberries exploding in her mouth all at once. "You're cute-" She started.

"-when you're blushing." He finished.

They both couldn't resist the urge to laugh, Ruby getting off of Jaune so he could take up a more comfortable seat than the floor. "Guess we both could only think of the most cliché line ever, huh?"

They both repositioned themselves beside the air conditioner to help cool down. They didn't mind the sweat at first, but it was starting to smell. "I dunno, we haven't said 'I love you' yet."

Ruby pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You just said it!"

"Aww, damn it. Can I get a redo?"

"Nope." Only one simple word, but Ruby made it say so much… At least, that's what Jaune thought.

"But-"

"Nope."

"How about- Mmmmmmpf" When she cut him off with yet another kiss, he quickly realized that she'd found a devious weapon to use against him in any argument. He was going to need some sort of counterattack. "Oh… Yes…"

As the two sat there, the cold air of the conditioner baring down on them and drying their slimy skin, Ruby grinned. "I love this. These moments with you, the moments with the gang, the moments with my Uncle, all of 'em." She pulled herself into Jaune's lap, using his chest as her personal pillow. There were no complaints from him. "And if bottling everything up ruins those moments, then I might as well quit now. A world without these moments isn't a world worth fighting for." She thought of her friends in the front, she thought of all the people that helped them, she thought of her mother, she thought of all she had. She was content with this and she wouldn't let Salem take it away, immortality be damned. "Now, let's look at that info. I had a few ideas…"


End file.
